Newly-renovated, Echostage provides the largest dedicated indoor concert space in Washington DC and hosts between two and five shows each week. Though the converted warehouse attracts world-class DJs and is known for electric dance music, the venue is also used for live music, drawing crowds of thousands.
‘Echostage is becoming an epic venue, says OHM Productions owner Jeff Darby. ‘The team really cares about providing an experience for everyone involved. They wanted to take it to the next level. Part of that was mastering the sound in a very dynamic space.’
With clear sight lines on the large first floor dance area and lounge seating in the balcony, the aim is to serve fans and artists equally well. However, the open feel made providing clear, even sound relatively difficult. OHM – being an active part of each show production – felt that d&b audiotechnik offered the best solutions.
‘The various music styles each require different sound adjustments,’ Darby says. ‘The V-Series from d&b is able to meet this wide range of needs, plus the ArrayCalc technology allows us to map the room to provide ideal sound, no matter where you are in the venue. The result is amazing.’
‘We’d been hearing about d&b from touring DJs,’ concurs Echostage GM, Matt Croni. ‘We definitely trust and respect the opinions of all our artists, so when we were ready to upgrade our system, it was important to look into d&b. We’ve been using the V-Series for months now, and the response is overwhelming. We’ve actually had artists ask if they can take it with them. It’s exactly what we were looking for.’
Darby and the OHM Productions team are working with Echostage to provide sound support for each show, and called on Bill Mills at Overland Pro Audio to identify the most appropriate system – the V-Series.
‘OHM has chosen a Midas Pro series console for FOH and fitted the stage rack with AES inputs and outputs,’ Mills says. ‘They are making use of the digital output from the DJ mixer so the signal path is purely digital from the source to the d&b amplifiers. We did an A/B comparison of the digital and analogue output from the DJ mixer and the improvements with the digital output were shockingly apparent across the sound spectrum, and particularly with the J-Infra subs. They add that LF range so critical in the EDM environment. There was no doubt the new system was perfect for Echostage. Plus, the inherent directional control of the system is helpful in such a large, uninterrupted space.’
‘The system is exactly what we were promised. It’s fast to rig, is easy to use, and sounds great,’ Cronin reports. ‘At Echostage, it’s all about providing an intimate experience for both artists and fans. This sound system allows us to do that. We are a community of people enjoying music. That has always been our focus. We are excited to continue growing and improving to pay respect to that community for years to come. This was just a first, and very important, step towards that.’
